Chapter 3: Rage and Realizations

Shepard sprang out from behind cover and let loose an overwhelming shockwave sending a dozen or so of the modified varren flying head over paws across the room. Having cleared her path she was able to quickly take stock of the situation. There was little cover in the den, the few mounds of dirt and rocks there were would barely reach her knees. This would be a tough fight and after the previous mission, it was just what she needed. Time to cut loose!

Thane watched her as she unleashed wave after wave of powerful biotics, his eyes riveted to her. Warp, throw, shockwave, her body engulfed in the blue flames as she took down varren after varren tossing in the occasional blast from her assault rifle. It almost looked as though she were dancing he thought, suppressing an ironic smile before shaking his head. It would do him no favors to admire her now, not with her end approaching so quickly, and by his hand nonetheless.

Despite her valiant efforts and cool demeanor, as the battle wore on his veteran eyes could see the ever so subtle ebbing in the power of her attacks, the infinitesimal droop of her lithe arms as they swept through the air tossing the ferocious beasts this way and that. She was beginning to tire and her demise hurried on the heels of her exhaustion. Still… admiring her tenacity, however short-lived, shouldn't do too much harm. He cocked his head slightly, vaguely aware of the slight changes taking place inside of him yet surprised to find himself not really caring. The leather that usually felt cool and reassuring as it lay against his body felt unusually hot and restricting. He tried to settle into a more comfortable position as he leaned forward in anticipation, a growing portion of his mind rooting for her.

For the first few minutes of battle, Shepard was in ecstasy. All this destruction was just what she needed to vent the pent-up frustration from her confrontation with Kaidan on Horizon and that detestable message afterwards. She pictured his smug, self-righteous face on each and every varren she obliterated. Once the fog of her rage had settled a bit, she realized she had bitten off quite a mouthful taking on the entire pack by herself. Without their new cybernetics they would barely be more than a speed bump for her but with them these varren were faster, stronger, and most importantly, harder to kill. She would fill them full of bullets and toss them across the room and after what felt like just a few seconds, they would come charging back into the fray for more.

By the time Shepard had the pack down to half strength, her supply of thermal clips was significantly depleted. By the time she got their numbers down to a respectable half-dozen, she was soaked with sweat and breathing heavily. She scanned the room, trying to put together some semblance of a plan, the soft light her omni-tool faintly illuminating the den as the varren crept towards her, fangs gleaming. She needed to turn the tables on them, to somehow gain the upper hand. The hard part was finding a way to do that with such limited resources.

Gritting her teeth, she steeled herself for her final push. No pack of stupid mutts was going to get the better of her! She was too spent and had sustained too many injuries to hold out much longer. It was all or nothing, and she'd be damned if she settled for nothing after all she had been through. Besides, she thought to herself, I wouldn't want to give Kaidan the satisfaction. An image of his irate, accusatory face flashed before her eyes and she seethed, her strength briefly augmented by the adrenaline of her burning anger. An increasingly bright blue radiance emanated off her body as she clenched her jaw so hard it hurt. She took a deep breath through her gritted teeth, braced herself, and, as her battle cry rang out, let rip a massive warp that cascaded outward shattering the varren and obliterating what little cover there had been.

Spent and trembling she teetered as she stood in the shaking room feeling the clumps of dirt and rock rain down on her, finding, with satisfaction, that none of the varren had survived. With a final, lopsided smile, she collapsed in a heap, utterly unconscious.